Carinthian Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Arson

Due to multiple arson cases, a 24-year-old Carinthian was sentenced to six years in prison at the Klagenfurt Regional Court on Thursday. The former firefighter is said to have set four fires in the multi-party house where he himself lived - one of which escalated into a serious roof truss fire. The verdict was initially not legally binding, but the accused was arrested in the courtroom.

Six years in prison for Carinthian - Verdict initially not legally binding

As Judge Claudia Bandion-Ortner, the chairwoman of the jury, explained in her reasoning for the verdict, it could be said with the necessary certainty for a conviction that the young man had set the fires. He had no alibis and behaved suspiciously several times. Fires broke out twice in the attic, to which only he had access among all the possible individuals. Even the recordings from a camera that the man himself had installed could not exonerate him - rather, the accused conspicuously placed himself in the picture. In addition to the major indications pointing to him as the perpetrator, there are many smaller pieces of evidence. As a possible motive, the judge cited the man's increased need for recognition.

In total, there were seven fires in or in front of the multi-party house where the accused lived. The series began on September 7, 2023: A car in front of the house burned, as did a garbage container independently. Five days later, the attic of the house was fully ablaze, causing damage of 600,000 euros. On August 21, 2024, a fire followed in a garbage container. Three days later, there was a fire in a basement compartment of the multi-party house, which did not spread only due to the quick intervention of a resident. In October 2024, the roof truss burned again and extinguished itself by chance. The last fire in the series occurred on November 6, 2024, again in a basement compartment. The accused was charged with four of these fires.

Suspicious behavior, lack of alibis

The 24-year-old came under the investigators' scrutiny due to his suspicious behavior and lack of alibis. He was accused of setting the fires in an agitated state after ended relationships, and he also allegedly wanted to commit insurance fraud due to financial problems. The accused admitted to this - he had forged purchase contracts for furniture after the damage caused by extinguishing water.

Regarding the arson, the defendant continued to deny any guilt - as he had at the two previous court dates. On Thursday, the examination of several witnesses took place, focusing on the most consequential fire on September 12, 2023, in which the roof structure of the house burned. A police officer who was on duty that evening testified that the defendant had particularly stood out.

He wanted to go back into the fire ruins at any cost - the 24-year-old even led him and the fire chief directly to the attic after the "fire out" was declared. "He repeatedly said that he had woken all the residents and therefore saved them," said the police officer. The 24-year-old was so agitated that he could still remember it today, two years after the incident: "That was very noticeable." The defendant denied this account afterwards: "I never had anything to do with the police officer during this investigation."

Arson Investigator Testified in Carinthia

An experienced arson investigator also testified in court - he mainly pointed out the fact that only four people knew where the key to the attic was located, where the roof fire had been set. Of them - and indeed of all the residents - only the 24-year-old had no alibi, which made him suspicious.

At the beginning of the trial day, an expert report was also read, stating that there were no signs of pyromania - the pathological urge to set fires - found in the 24-year-old. The arson investigator was also questioned about this: "In the course of my career, I have only had one arsonist with this diagnosis," he said. All other motives were "hatred, jealousy, a desire for recognition, possibly insurance fraud, property damage, and vandalism."

The man's defense attorney filed an appeal for nullity and an appeal. Prosecutor Christian Pirker also filed an appeal against the sentence. He also requested the arrest of the man due to the risk of flight and reoffending. Judge Bandion-Ortner then ordered the arrest: "The incentive to flee is given in view of the high prison sentence," she explained. The 24-year-old was then taken away.

(APA/Red)

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